Scot detained in India on terror charges is denied bail

A Scottish Sikh man arrested in India seven years ago over alleged terror offences has had his bail refused.

Jagtar Singh Johal, from Dumbarton, faces charges related to political violence after being detained after his wedding in the country in November 2017.

His family has accused the Indian authorities of torturing him and has repeatedly asked for the Scottish and UK governments to intervene.

Mr Johal, who campaigned for Sikh rights in Punjab, had been bailed on two previous cases - but the High Court in Dehli rejected his latest appeal.

Mr Johal’s brother, Gurpreet, said prosecutors in India could be allowed to drag the case out for decades unless the UK government steps in to help bring him home.

He said: “My brother should not be in prison. All he ever did was stand up for human rights, as we have said from day one.

“Today’s ruling is a harsh reminder that the system is stacked against him.

“Even these simple bail applications have taken more than a year to be considered because the prosecution has sought so many needless adjournments."

Mr Johal was arrested in Jalandhar in November 2017 and charged with conspiracy to murder.

His family claims he has been tortured and was forced to sign blank pieces of paper and record video statements to make it stop.

Campaigners allege he was electrocuted and threatened to be doused in petrol and set alight, but this is denied by the Indian authorities.

Mr Johal was an active blogger while still living in Scotland, and regularly wrote about historical human rights abuses against Sikhs in the Punjab region.

In May 2022 a UN panel of human rights experts found his detention was arbitrary - in other words lacked legal basis - and he should be released.

Scotland's first minister John Swinney said he was "gravely concerned" about Mr Johal's case.

Mr Johal has been granted bail twice before, according to human rights group Reprieve.

The organisation said the High Court in Punjab previously granted Mr Johal bail in March 2022 on the basis that he had been jailed without trial for five years, which violated his right to justice.

Reprieve said this ruling was upheld by India’s Supreme Court in August 2023.

The charity, which has been supporting Mr Johal's family, claim the latest refusal of bail by the High Court of Delhi is at odds with the Supreme Court ruling and subject to challenge.

Deputy director, Harriet McCulloch, said the latest decision should "shock the UK government into action".

She said: “To deny Jagtar bail when there is no end in sight to his trials and no credible evidence has been presented is clearly unjust.

“India is keeping a British human rights activist in arbitrary detention while his government stands by.

"The UK Government should be actively seeking his release, doing whatever it takes.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “The government has been clear that we remain absolutely committed to pushing for faster progress on Jagtar Singh Johal’s case.

“The foreign secretary raised concerns about allegations of torture and the right to a fair trial in a meeting with the minister of external affairs in India in July.”